Two Ugandan musicians are on the spot for reportedly grabbing a studio that government had established to enable artistes record their songs cheaply.
Kawempe South MP Bashir Kazibwe has tasked the Ministry of Gender and Cultural Affairs to explain how and why two artistes “grabbed” a music studio the Museveni government had built in Mengo, Kampala.
Kazibwe, the NUP legislator, told fellow MPs that he is aware that artistes Sophie Nantongo and Travis Kazibwe aka Dr Tee took over the studio which government had put in place to help singers record their music at a very low cost compared to the privately owned studios scattered all over Kampala.
“In 2019, Government created a recording studio in Mengo, Kampala where all musicians were supposed to go and pay Shs100,000 and it is being manned by two artists Sophie Nantongo and Dr Tee Travis Kazibwe but the reports we are getting, artists aren’t in position to easily access the studio, yet it was funded by Government,” submitted Kazibwe.
“So we don’t know whether this project is for these two individuals, is it still a government project or did you surrender it?”
Meanwhile, Gender and Cultural Affairs Minister Peace Mutuuzo explained that has government has a mega plan of training artistes so that they can compete on the international market. Kampala will seek funding from the World Bank to equip artistes with technical skills and enable them meet international standards.
Part of the plan for the creative industry, which employs about 150,000 people and contributes about Shs7.5bn to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (according to Uganda National Cultural Center), is to establish a fund to offer loans for artistes to boost their talents.
“As a government, we are planning to create a fund ring-fenced to support the creative artistes considering the unique nature of their business. We also intend to mobilize and attract financial products and partners to support the financing of the creative industry in Uganda,” Mutuzo said.
It should be remembered that despite threats by the World Bank to stop giving Uganda loans over the Anti-Homosexuality Act, Museveni’s government recently revealed it will beg the international lender for money after spending trillions on buying firewood for refugees. (Read Details Here and There).
On the alleged grabbing of the studio, it is slowly becoming common for private individuals to take over government property. Just recently, foreign investors forcefully took over Naguru Hospital, which was built on police land. (See Details Here).
